Shawn Ryan

This article is about the American screenwriter. For the podcaster and former Navy SEAL, see Shawn Ryan (United States Navy). For other people with a similar name, see Sean Ryan (disambiguation).

Shawn Ryan (born October 11, 1966)^[1] is an American screenwriter and television producer. He has created and/or produced a number of television series including The Shield (2002–2008), The Unit (2006–2009), Lie to Me (2009–11), Timeless (2016–2018), S.W.A.T. (2017–2025) and The Night Agent (2023–present).

Shawn Ryan
Ryan at the 2011 Deauville American Film Festival
Born	(1966-10-11) October 11, 1966 (age 58) Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
Education	Keith Country Day School Middlebury College
Occupations	Screenwriter television producer
Spouse	Cathy Cahlin Ryan
Children	2

Early life

Ryan was born in Rockford, Illinois.^[1] His mother is schoolteacher and his father is a CPA.^[2] He said he had "a very good family upbringing" and was interested in 1970s sitcoms as a child.^[2]

Career

After graduating from Middlebury College, Ryan got his start in television when he entered and won the Norman Lear Playwriting award sponsored by Columbia Pictures Television (which later became Sony). The award included a $25,000 cash gift and meetings with Columbia's top television producers. Later he was a staff writer on the show Nash Bridges and served as a writer/producer on Angel before creating and acting as head writer on The Shield. He was partnered with David Mamet to serve as showrunner for The Unit.^{[citation needed]}

Ryan was set to executive produce Confessions of a Contractor,^[3] a 2009 CBS television pilot based on Richard Murphy's book of the same name. The story centres on a successful L.A. contractor who becomes involved with two of his female clients. The production was put on hold when casting contingencies could not be met.^[4] He was the showrunner for season 2 of Fox's Lie to Me. He was the showrunner and executive producer of FX's Terriers. He created the crime drama The Chicago Code.^[5] In 2012, Ryan's pilot Last Resort got picked up by ABC for the fall. On November 21, 2012, it was announced that producers had been given enough notice of the network's plans not to pick the show up for a full season and that they were reworking the final episode to function as a series finale and give the fans closure.

In January 2013, CBS picked up Beverly Hills Cop, an hourlong crime procedural with comedic elements, with Ryan on board to pen the script and executive produce along with his MiddKid Productions partner Marney Hochman and Eddie Murphy. The potential series was a follow-up to the Murphy franchise and centered on Foley's son, Aaron (played by Brandon T. Jackson), a cop working in Beverly Hills as he tries to escape his famous father's shadow. Barry Sonnenfeld directed the pilot. In May 2013, CBS announced it would not pick up the show.

Awards and nominations

He was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series in 2002 (Emmy Award), and a Humanitas Prize in 1998.

Personal life

Ryan is married to actress Cathy Cahlin Ryan, who starred on The Shield and The Chicago Code. They have two children.^[6][7][8]

Filmography

Film

• Welcome to Hollywood (1998) (screenplay and story)

Television

Year	Title	Network	Creator	Writer	Executive Producer	Notes
1990	My Two Dads	NBC	No	Yes	No
1997–1998	Life with Louie	Fox	No	Yes	Yes
1997–2000	Nash Bridges	CBS	No	Yes	No	Co-producer only
2000–2001	Angel	The WB	No	Yes	No	Producer only
2002–2008	The Shield	FX	Yes	Yes	Yes
2006–2009	The Unit	CBS	No	Yes	Yes
2010	Lie to Me	Fox	No	Yes	Yes
2010	Terriers	FX	No	Yes	Yes
2011	The Chicago Code	Fox	Yes	Yes	Yes
2012–2013	Last Resort	ABC	Yes	Yes	Yes
2015–2016	Mad Dogs	Amazon Prime Video	No	Yes	Yes
2016–2017	The Get Down	Netflix	No	No	Yes
2016–2018	Timeless	NBC	Yes	Yes	Yes
2017–present	S.W.A.T.	CBS	Yes	Yes	Yes
2023–present	The Night Agent	Netflix	Yes	Yes	Yes